Statement from Jack Gillis, Executive Director of the Consumer Federation of America

July 25, 2019
| Press Release

Washington D.C. — The agreement between California and the four automakers (BMW, Ford, Honda, and Volkswagen), is a major win for consumers, automotive workers, the environment and the automakers themselves. This is just the latest blow to the Administration’s misguided and flawed attempt to roll back the nation’s popular fuel economy standards. It was only two months ago when automakers wrote a letter to Trump to revive talks between itself and California, and to avoid making unilateral moves, which would cause “an extended period of litigation and instability.” This move by four automakers, who represent 30% of national sales, shows automakers are becoming increasingly worried about the Trump Administration fracturing the nation’s fuel economy standards.

Today’s agreement slightly weakens the current standards by decreasing the original fuel economy increases year-over-year and moves the current 2025 requirement to 2026. The agreement will ensure that automakers continue to retain the flexibility to produce and sell vehicles consumers want, while also increasing fuel efficiency which will save consumers billions. It will also guarantee that automakers continue to innovate, with a particular focus on electric vehicles, which are increasingly seen as being the future of automotive industry. California is to be congratulated for continuing to lead our nation toward a more fuel efficient future in the face of the Trump Administration’s unrelenting and ill-founded march toward stalling innovation and forcing Americans to pay more at the pump.